If the thought of increased traffic from development of the wetlands on the west side of Route 3 doesn’t concern you, maybe these photos will catch your attention.

The Maryland Department of the Environment has actually deemed it acceptable to build a big-box store on the site across Route 3 from Old Crofton, where these photos were taken. I know, it’s hard to believe, that’s why I provided this link so you can see the permit for yourself: File Attachment: MDEPermitIssuance.pdf (1577 KB)

These photos were taken by Katherine Para for FriendsofRoute3.org, an organization of homeowners and concerned citizens working to call attention to this matter and hopefully make authorities think twice before this goes any farther.

Adding insult to injury, our own Crofton Civic Association president, Steve Grimaud, is reported by local media to be in negotiations with the owner of that property to trade Lake Louise (to be converted into a wetlands area) for “replacing” the natural wetlands destroyed by development for a big-box store.

If you are as stunned as I am about this, just talk to anyone who attended last month’s Crofton Civic Association meeting. The presentation advertised to local residents as an opportunity to learn about various options for improving Lake Louise turned out to be a sales pitch for just one option – developing the Lake Louise area into a wetlands.

If you care about preserving the real wetlands on the west side of Route 3, or you just don’t want to see traffic any worse than it already is, you’ve got to stand up and be counted. You need to express your unhappiness to local politicians and civic leaders, zoning officials, and apparently even the Maryland Department of the Environment. If we want them to listen, we really do have to make some noise.